Publisher's Synopsis
"The Persians triumph at Marathon and proceed to conquer Greece. Hannibal annihilates the Roman army at Zama, paving the way for a magnificent Carthaginian empire that dominates the Western Mediterranean for centuries. The Spanish Armada obliterates the forces of Queen Elizabeth I, who is taken captive and sent to Spain, while a Spanish-occupied England endures a brutal second Counter-Reformation. This book delves into the alternative outcomes of a dozen of the most pivotal battles in Western history, examining the cultural and political forces that shaped their aftermath-often more decisive in the course of history than the battles themselves. Alongside meticulously researched accounts, the author presents contemporary texts that illuminate these historical episodes from unexpected and often quirky angles. Counterfactual history, once dismissed as a pastime for amateurs, has recently garnered serious scholarly attention. This book comb
